


Twelve Divided by Two

by eosrealis (Aurorealis)



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Brother Feels, Emotional Hurt, Family Feels, Fluff, Gen, hurt stan, stan feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:58:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4906399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurorealis/pseuds/eosrealis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stanford Pines has six fingers on each hand for a total of twelve. Stanley Pines has six and twelve toes. Stanley thinks it isn't fair that everyone focuses on his twin's mutation but not his, just because hands are more noticed than feet. His solution? Just leave the feet uncovered. Simple as that.</p><p>A short idea that went to a sadder place than I expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Twelve Divided by Two

**Author's Note:**

> I think I took this idea about as far as I needed/wanted to go with it. Like I said in the summary, this made me feel sadder than I thought it would. Just like how this series and fandom made me feel far more emotionally invested in the funny, grumpy old man character than I ever thought I would be. "grunkle stan deserves better 2k15" please.
> 
> Also, this was written in a sort of drabble style, meaning I more just wanted to get my feelings out than work a technically skilled piece of writing. Just a heads up.

“Ford, don't listen to those jerk! They just don't know how cool you are.”

A nine year old Stanford sniffed, wiping his tears away before they could spill down his cheek. Which then brought those stupid extra fingers into his vision again. And more tears started to form. “I know, but-”

His twin Stanley growled. “But nothin'! Crampelter and his goons are stupid! Extra fingers are awesome!”

“Th-they are not! Everyone says they're freaky, ev- even mum and dad don't like to look at them!”

Suddenly Ford found his hands grabbed by his twin's normal, natural hands. “Well, I say they're not. And if they are, then they make my feet just as freaky and we can both be freaks together.”

Ford smiled through a sniffle. “It's not the same, Lee. No one cares about feet being weird. Hardly anyone teases you for it. But everyone notices my hands.” Lee looked down to his feet. The 6th extra digit on each foot was easily covered up by socks and shoes. Coming to an immediate decision, Lee untied his shoes and peeled off his socks. “What are you doing?” Ford wrinkled his nose as a dirty sock was flung at him. 

“You're right. It's not fair that everyone gets to see your fingers but not my toes. So I'm going to make sure everyone gets the full serving.' He wiggled his toes. 

Ford couldn't help a sudden burst of laughter. “Lee! Why would you want everyone to see that? I'd love to be able to hide mine.”

Lee gave him a cheeky grin. “Well, I think they're missing out! And if you can't hide yours, I'm not going to hide mine anymore either.”

Ford laughed again, cheered by his brother's words. “Don't be silly, you don't have to do that just to make me feel better.”

His words were answered by a tongue, mockingly stuck out. “Sure I do. I'm not going to wear anything over my toes anymore until you stop feeling bad about your fingers.”

It was as simple as that.

0o0o0o0

“Stanley, come on. You have to put at least socks on.” Ford sighed. Lee simply turned his face away, his chin jutting out stubbornly. “Mom and Dad aren't being unreasonably, you know. You can't walk around barefoot all your life.”

“I told you, I'm not-” 

“I know, I know. You don't want to hide your toes, I know. And I appreciate the sentiment, but right now you're only hurting both of us.”

Lee turned around again to return his brother's stare. “But I made a promise.”

Ford smiled, slinging an arm around his twin. “Considering I'm the one you made it to, and I'm the one telling you to stop, I think it's fair. It's not safe to have nothing protecting your feet.”

“Well, I have my sandals.” Lee flashed a tiny grin.

Ford pushed his brother back. “It's snowing outside, you knucklehead!” 

Lee scoffed. “I could handle it. Wouldn't say somethin' like that if I couldn't.”

“You liar,” Ford laughed. “Your feet would fall off! You made that promise in the summer, I doubt you were thinking of the cold at all.” 

Lee stuck his tongue out. “I still think I could. But fine.” And then he brightened. “Wait, there's a way for me not to break it!”

“A way that doesn't involve frostbite?”

“Oh ha ha, sixer.” Lee rolled his eyes. “No, I mean, I said I wouldn't hide my twelve toes because you couldn't hide your twelve fingers. So if you CAN hide your fingers, than I can do the same!”

Ford paused. And then caught up. “Oh, right! So if I wore mitts..?”

“If you wear mitts, I'll wear socks. Deal?”

“Lee, you're being ridiculous,” Ford giggled. “But fine. It's a deal.” 

0o0o0o0o0

It was cold. The Stanleymobile's heater broke last month, and Stan definitely couldn't afford to fix it right now. He couldn't even afford a motel to escape this awful cold. But it was okay, more or less. He had a ton of blankets stocked for just this purpose. And the car at least meant that Stan was safe from the wind and snow. At the very least, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to actually freeze to death, he was just going to feel like it.

Except, for one thing. Stan was bundled up under the blankets in his coat, hat, scarf, mitts, and warmest pants. He stared at the package beside him, a package that he easily shoplifted. Finally, he sighed and opened it, pulling out a fresh pair of thick socks.

It felt like another betrayal, putting them on without running off to make sure Ford put gloves or something on. It was practically a cold weather tradition, each twin making sure the other dressed for the cold. And the sigh of amused exasperation as the start of the “Stanley actually covering his feet for once” season began. 

It didn't feel right at all, and Stan was painfully tempted to phone his brother at that backup college to double check that he was wearing gloves first. But Stan knew exactly how well he would be received. And in the meantime, his feet really were blocks of ice right now and some level of frostbite was probably a real risk. So Stan wordlessly slipped them on and nestled the blankets back over himself.

0o0o0o0o0

“Grunkle Stan, why do you never wear shoes? Not that I'm complaining, but it's just... you don't even wear shoes when you do the whole 'Mystery Man' routine. Doesn't that detract from the image?” Dipper finally asked, one day when the curiosity had become too much.

Stan simply shrugged. “I don't like covering my feet. What's it to ya?” 

Dipper frowned. “I feel like there has to be something.. is it because of your toes? Like, do shoes not fit because of the extras?” He winced at his own wording.

“Huh? Nah, my foot's only a bit wider cause of that. No, I just don't like socks or shoes. Never have, too restricting. I got a pair of flip-flops for when I really need them anyways.”

“Oh. That's it?”

Stan laughed. “Yeah, that's it. Don't believe me? Try going around bare foot for a week, it's great! You won't want to wear shoes again.”

Finally, Dipper laughed, mystery solved. “No thanks, Grunkle Stan. I think I would get all cut up on rocks and sticks and things.”

Stan ruffled Dipper's hat. “That's cause you have no skin buildup. Gotta train your soles up to handle the wear and tear. Of course, my feet have gone through years of this- they can handle anything the ground can throw at 'em!” 

As if to demonstrate, Stan lifted his feet up, wiggling his twelve toes and drawing attention to the thick calluses across both feet, littered by the occasional scar. “Oh ew, gross!” Dipper laughed. 

“What, are you two going to start a footsie competition without me?” Mabel jumped in on the action, already tossing her shoes to the grass and wrestling her socks off. 

“Don't worry about it sweetie, I'm just showing Dipper who's got the alpha feet around here.”

“Oooh, alpha feet!” Mabel bounded closer. “They're wrinklier up close than I expected.”

“Yeah, well, these babies could go across the country, up a mountain, and into the heart of a volcano without shoes.” Stan boasted, happy with the awed attention he'd managed to gather.

Mabel's eyes sparkled. “I'm never wearing shoes again.” She vowed solemnly. And then ran off to continue what she was doing, dirty socks left in her place. 

Dipper wrinkled his nose at the old man feet in his face, but he was still grinning. And then he too went after his sister. “Mabel, you can't just never wear shoes again! What about when winter comes?”

Stan snorted and went back to his newspaper. There was just something so nostalgic about those two kids. But also something about that particular exchange that felt a bit sad. Stan put it out of his mind.

0o0o0o0

He didn't say it until much later, but it was clear he'd noticed early on. Possibly even right away. But regardless, the question didn't come until sometime after the arguments and the ignoring each other and even the dysfunctional reconciliation. 

“You... still don't wear anything over your toes?” The kids weren't there, and the question came right out of left field, but it was clear that it had been heavy in Ford's mind for quite a while.

Stan nearly spat his coffee out at the suddenness of it. Laid bare like that as it was, the whole thing seemed almost embarrassing.

He could get away with a bull crap answer like he'd given Dipper or anyone else who's asked. Certainly Stan was eccentric enough for it. But Ford would know, Ford always knew. So there was no point. 

“No, of course I don't, sixer. I made a promise, didn't I?”

And it was as simple as that.


End file.
